The Transfer
by DracosWinter
Summary: Snapes niece transfers to Hogwarts, usually unheard of. She falls in love with a certain Malfoy. They both find out they have more in common than just ties to the Dark Lord. They have feelings for eachother.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1: Melodi's Arrival  
  
Severus Snape paced his office, thoughts racing through his head. He unconsciously ran his hand through his greasy black hair, not noticing that it fell back into its regular position infront of his eyes. On his desk lay the object of his discomfiture- a letter from his favorite distant cousin. It read:  
Severus; I know we have not spoken in a long time. However, dear cousin, I need a favour from you. My daughter, Melodi, needs to be hidden away from our house. My husband has returned to serving the Dark Lord and wishes for Melodi to join him. I will not have this, Severus. I will not allow her to fall to his musings. I am sending her to Hogwarts- I have already spoken to Headmaster Dumbledore and he is willing to accept Melodi at the start of this year. I am trusting her into your care Severus. Please watch over her.  
  
Love Always, Portia Snape DeRowane  
  
Snape reread the letter, huffing and snorting as he did so. He loved his cousin Portia, but this was unexpected. He remembered when they were younger they would play 'Witches and Wizards' all the time together. She never made fun of him or ignored him, and she was the only one who tried to help him leave the Dark Lord's services. He owed her much, but he was not ready to take on the guardianship of his niece. Snape ran his hand through his hair again, and sat down in his chair to reply to his cousin's letter. He was, in effect, without any choice in the matter This was going to be an interesting year.  
  
Melodi stood on the infamous platform 9 and ¾, Hogwarts robes and travel bag in hand. Her dark black hair was blowing to and fro in the wind, and her unusual violet eyes observed those around her. She watched as people bustled about getting on the train and waving goodbye to their families. She would be joining them soon. Her stomach fluttered nervously. She had never been good at making friends, especially since she had been home schooled for most of her life, and now she would have to start all over again. 'Stupid mother. Why did she have to go and send me to a school? I was doing perfectly fine with my personal tutors.' The train whistled, startling Melodi from her thoughts. She noticed that only parents were left on the platform and she quickly hopped onto the train before it took off without her. 'That'd be my luck,' she thought, 'the train would leave without me and I'd be stuck here.' Melodi made her way through the train as it shuffled along its course. It hit a sharp turn and Melodi, not used to walking in the moving object, tripped over her feet and into a door. Instead of breaking her fall, the door opened, causing her to tumble, head first, into the occupied room.  
"Whoa there! What in bloody hell .?" a voice sounded above her head. Melodi rolled her bag off of her and sat up on the floor, looking at the three people above her. There were two boys and a girl. The boys had dark black and red hair respectively, while the girl had a massive amount of curly brown hair. Melodi put a hand to her head, feeling a bump rising where she hit it on the door. "Sorry about that, I tripped." She said, dusting off her black robes. "Don't worry, I'll be leaving now." "Leaving? Are you sure you're okay to stand up? That was quite a trip!" the girl looked at Melodi with concern in her eyes as she stood up next to her. "Let me look at your head. Sit here." Melodi took the seat the girl was pointing to; a cushy red bench across from where the boys sat. Soon curls where blocking her vision as the girl inspected Melodi's head.  
"It looks fine, I think you might just have a bump for a little while." the girl said with finality as she took the seat next to Melodi. She extended her hand. "I'm Hermione Granger. I'm a Gryffindor, and this year's Head Girl." Melodi smiled and shook Hermione's hand. "Nice to meet you Hermione. My name is Melodi DeRowane. I am transferring into Hogwarts, with permission from Dumbledore." The three students just stared at her for a bit- they'd never heard of a transfer student at Hogwarts. Hermione shook her head to clear and pointed to the two boys. "These two scalawags are Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, my best friends."  
"Nice to meet you Melodi." Ron said, shaking her hand.  
"Welcome to Hogwarts." Harry added, following Hermione and Ron's greetings. Melodi smiled at them, and then the car fell into an awkward silence. Melodi cleared her throat, "So, you're the famous Harry Potter, eh? I have heard many, many things about you. I never though I would meet you in person though." Inside her head, Melodi was chiding herself, 'Nicely done stupid. First you tumble into their door like a muggle circus performer, and then you make a fool of yourself infront of a celebrity. What a great way to start the school year. Oh how the friends will be clamoring to spend time with you.' Melodi averted her eyes and apologized "Sorry. You probably get that from a lot of people."  
Before Harry could reply, the train car door burst open. "Well, if it isn't Potty, Weasel and the filthy Mudblood Granger!" The deep masculine voice filled the tiny room. Melodi looked up to see a tall boy standing in the doorway. He had short blond hair and bangs that framed his wide, piercing blue eyes. A smirk colored his face as he scanned the room, his eyes stopping to rest on her. Melodi wanted to look away from his curious stare, but she held his eyes until he finally spoke. "What's this? The Perfect Trio found a new friend?" He laughed and came to stand over her, his eyes burning into hers. "Take my word for it; you don't want to be hanging around with these three nobody's. They're all useless and utterly pathetic. You should come join Slytherin House, where the real power is, and hang out with my friends and I. Think about it, and get back to me." He smirked again.  
"Malfoy, you know very well that students don't get to choose their house, the Sorting Hat chooses for them." Ron spurted out.  
"I know that, Weasel. I was just giving her a suggestion. You know, warning her away from the likes of you."  
"Ah, go away Malfoy. She's got a mind and can think for herself." Ron said, waving Malfoy off.  
"That's more than I can say for you and your so-called friends here Weasel." Malfoy turned with a laugh at his own insult and left the car.  
"Stupid git. I'm glad we're almost through with him." Ron went off into a tangent as Melodi continued to stare at the door.  
"Who was that?" she asked Hermione when Ron had calmed down and fallen asleep.  
"That lousy ferret? That was Draco Malfoy. He's rotten and mean, and if you know what is good for you, you'll stay away from him." Hermione replied as she pulled out a book. Melodi nodded her head at the warning. 'Draco Malfoy, hmmm?' she thought to herself. She had heard of the Malfoys. Her father worked with a Malfoy, and she remembered something about possibly being related to them. She shook her head, that rumor had been cleared up a long time ago. The Snapes were not related to the Malfoys, they had just been long-time friends. 'Don't do it. Don't start thinking about him. You heard Hermione, stay away from him. Don't go and ignore the first friends you've made.' But Melodi couldn't help it, even though Hermione's warning played through her head, she couldn't bring herself to NOT be intrigued by the 'stupid git' with the stunning blue eyes.  
  
Melodi felt someone poking her arm and she swatted the hand. "Melodi, you have to get up and get your Hogwarts robes on. We're almost at the school." Melodi opened her eyes, Hermione was standing over her. "Come on, get up sleepyhead!" Melodi sat up, looking confused.  
"I don't know where my robes are. I must have dropped them when I fell." She said looking around with wild eyes. Hermione handed her a set of robes.  
"They were on the floor outside the door. I found them when I went to change. Now hurry up! You can change in here." Hermione pushed Harry and Ron out the door. Melodi looked at the robes in her hand, still shocked that this all wasn't a dream. She carefully removed her traveling robes, placed them in her bag, and pulled on her new Hogwarts robes. She went over to the door and opened it, allowing her three friends back in. "I'm all set. Thanks for all your help guys." The three students smiled at her.  
"Anytime!" Ron replied. Harry and Hermione laughed at their red haired friend, who seemed to be smitten with Melodi.  
About twenty minutes later, the train stopped and the students all started out to the platform. They were greeted by an oversized man who was bellowing orders, "First years to the left side where the boats are. All returning students go to the right to the carriages." Melodi stood on the platform, not sure of what to do. Hermione, Ron and Harry had all trotted off to the carriages, promising to see her later. Melodi was about to call after them when a large shadow covered her, "Miss DeRowane? My name is Hagrid, Dumbledore told me all about ye. Follow me, you'll be joining the firs' years in th' boats." Melodi picked up her bag and followed Hagrid, and the first year students, to the boats for her first glimpse of Hogwarts- her new home.  
  
The boat ride to the school was enchanting. The way Hogwarts stood looming over the water filled her with a sense of safety and calm. She knew right away she would like this school. Melodi followed the rest of the first years into the school, and stood waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The younger students threw curious glances at her, but she didn't let it phase her. Suddenly, amidst all the chatter, an older woman appeared at the top of the stairs. Her voice was stern but caring as she spoke "First years please listen up. My name is Professor McGonagall. I am here to greet all of you new arrivals. In a moment you will be walking into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your houses. You will remain in these houses for the time that you are at Hogwarts. After the sorting, there will be a feast. And now, Welcome to Hogwarts!" She pushed open the large doors and a collective gasp could be heard from the group of new students. The line started moving forward, as Melodi started towards the door, the older woman grabbed her arm. "Wait with me dear. You get to go in after all the first years are done. You are starting a new tradition tonight." Melodi looked at her curiously, but the woman just patted her arm in reassurance. "Don't worry nothing bad will happen to you."  
"Thank you Professor." Melodi's voice drifted off as the Sorting Hat's song drifted throughout the hall.  
When the first years had all been sorted into their respective houses, having been grandly greeted by their fellow students, Professor Dumbledore stood up and the room became hushed. "Welcome back to all of the returning students. Before I go into my warnings for the first year's I would like to announce that tonight marks the first night Hogwarts has opened its doors to a transfer student. Never before has this occurred in all of Hogwarts history. Professor McGonagall, please bring the student forward to be sorted into her new house." Melodi felt her feet moving forward but couldn't remember telling herself to start walking. Her nerves were jumping inside her body as she was marched through the hall infront of the entire student body. When she got to the front, she was turned around to face the students. Eyes peered at her from all directions, curious and enthralled looks were cast her way. Melodi swallowed the lump in her throat, demanding herself to remain calm. "And now for the Sorting Hat. If you please Professor." Melodi was pushed onto a stool and a huge hat placed on her head. Soon a voice sang out,  
"Ahh, what have we here? A new student at Hogwarts! But you are much older than the first years. A transfer so I'm told. Where should I place this new transfer? Where will history start a new course? You have a brave heart like the Gryffindors, but you also have the drive and hardworking skills of the Hufflepuffs. Yet still, I see in you the book smart and clever Ravenclaw, and also the ambition of the powerful Slytherins. Where shall I put you?" The room went silent for a moment as the Sorting Hat paused in his speech. "I know. You shall be a Gryffindor!" Melodi let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table. The hat was taken off her head and Melodi headed over to her new table.  
"Melodi! Melodi! Come sit here!" she turned and saw Harry waving his arms at her, calling her over to them. She took a seat next to Harry, across from Ron and Hermione. They all smiled and laughed together. "Welcome to Gryffindor!" They all said in unison, making the four of them laugh even louder. Dumbledore stood again, a twinkle in his eye.  
"Congratulations to everyone on their new houses. First off, to all new students the Forbidden Forest is off limits unless otherwise instructed and please beware of the changing stairs, we don't want anyone getting caught where they shouldn't be. Secondly, I would like to introduce this years Head Girl and Boy- Miss Hermione Granger and Mr. Draco Malfoy." Cheers went up for the two Heads, and Melodi beamed at her new friend. Her eyes flitted behind Hermione's head to see Draco standing at his table, smirking at Hermione's back. "And now," Dumbledore's voice continued as the room quieted down, "enjoy your meal!" With a wave of his wand, food appeared on the table and everyone dove in. There was roast beef, turkey, salad, fresh breads, potatoes, vegetables of all kinds and a wondrous outlay of desserts. The chalice infront of Melodi was filled with spiced pumpkin cider and she took a swallow. 'This is amazing!' she thought to herself as she filled her plate with each food. 'I didn't think this would be so cool. I think I am going to like it here.'  
Melodi was enjoying her meal immensely. She chatted with her new friends and they introduced her around a part of the table. She met Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and a host of other people she couldn't keep straight. After the introductions were over, and Melodi had filled her belly to the brim, Dumbledore's voice once again filled the room. "Prefects, please take all first year students to their dormitories and help them get situated. The rest of you may go as you please." Melodi looked at Hermione and smiled.  
"Guess I'm off to my dormitory. Will you come find me later so we can talk? I'm nervous about tomorrow." Melodi tried to keep the fear and nervousness out of her amethyst colored eyes. Hermione smiled back at her and said, "'Sure thing! I will come see you when my meeting about dorm rules is over. Just relax till then. We'll go over your schedule and everything." Melodi visibly relaxed and stood.  
"I will see you later then. Thank you Hermione. Bye Harry. Bye Ron. See you tomorrow." She waved as she strolled over towards the group of Gryffindor first years. Ron came rushing up to her as she walked away.  
"I'll go with you just in case you have questions or something." He said and winked at her. Melodi nodded her head and thanked him.  
"That's super nice of you Ron. I appreciate it."  
"Not a problem."  
  
The prefect wound his way up stairs and down hallways, weaving in and out of different directions. Ron was talking to Melodi, but she wasn't quite paying attention to him, rather focusing more on where she was going and how to get back. They finally reached a large painting of a rather plump woman sitting on a sofa. "The first years have arrived. Welcome to Hogwarts!" she said in a jovial voice. "Password please, or else I cannot let you in."  
The prefect said the password loud enough for everyone to hear, "Hippogriff". The portrait swung to the side and the students filed into the common room. Melodi walked in, her eyes wide with wonder. The room was tastefully decorated with the house colors of gold and burgundy. The fireplace was crackling away and the furniture looked so comfortable. Melodi blinked and then tried to focus her eyes to absorb it all at once. Shadows of flames danced on the polished redwood chairs and tables. The chairs were fitted with burgundy cushions and gold throw pillows. The hardwood floor was practically glowing and had throw rugs placed around it. On the walls hung portraits that were waving and smiling at the new arrivals. Ron whispered into Melodi's ear.  
"Breathtaking, isn't it?"  
"Unbelievably so." She replied. Their conversation was cut short as the prefect explained the rules for the dormitories and called out which rooms each student lived in. By the end of it, his voice was slightly softer and only Ron and Melodi were left.  
"Miss Melodi DeRowane?" he asked. She shook her head and he made another check mark on his list. "Since you are a seventh year transfer, and Hogwarts has never had this happen before. They decided to place you in a room with other seventh years so you could live with students your own age. Your room is up on the second floor, last door on the left. Your roommates are Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil and Ginny Weasley. Melodi thanked her lucky stars she had already been introduced to her new room mates. She turned and headed up the stairs to her room. Opening the door she gasped. The room had two sets of bunk beds; each had burgundy spreads and gold sheets. The pillows were a combination of both colors and she noted that each bed also had a curtain to pull across for a more "private" accommodation. Melodi saw her trunk and bag sitting next to an armoire. A smile spread across her face and she giggled inside her head. This was going to be an interesting year!  
  
At that moment she heard voices behind her. She turned and the voices turned to peals of excitement as Lavender, Parvati and Ginny all rushed towards her. "Welcome Roomie! We're so excited you're living with us. We're going to have so much fun!" The girls crushed her in hugs of welcome and filled her mind with thoughts of the future. 'So this is what it feels like to have friends.' She thought to herself. 'How different. How. truly wonderful!' And for the first time ever, Melodi joined in with the other girls, pouring out everything she wanted to do during the upcoming year. The four roommates talked for an hour or so as they emptied their trunks and bags and decorated their room. An hour later Hermione knocked on the door looking for Melodi.  
"I'm right here!" Melodi called out as she finished hanging her robes up.  
"Ready to look at your schedule?" Hermione asked.  
"I sure am!" Melodi answered as she pulled the piece of paper from her pocket.  
"Alright. Well, you have a seventh year schedule. Actually you and I have almost the same schedule." Hermione laughed. "Tomorrow we have Defense Against The Dark Arts for a double period, and then History of Magic. That's a fun class, one of my favorites. After Lunch we have double Potions with evil Snape and then we're done for the day. Now let's see the next day you have Transfiguration with McGonagall, she's our head of house and a wonderful professor." Hermione's voice continued on as Melodi absorbed all she could about each class and each professor. She hadn't missed Hermione's tell of 'evil Snape'. Evil Snape? How could her uncle be evil? Melodi shook herself mentally. She had known upon arriving that her uncle worked at Hogwarts, he had worked here for many years. Potions, one of his favorite topics of discussion. She could remember being a toddler, climbing up onto her favorite uncle's lap and listening to him talk potions and magic with her mother, all the while playing with his hair or the ties on his robes. As she grew up, she had seen less and less of him, until finally he just stopped showing up. Her mother still kept in touch with him occasionally, but Melodi figured he had too much to do than spend time with a niece who could no longer fit on his lap. "That's weird. You have Advanced Flying. Only honor students are allowed to take that class. Oh, and it's with the Slytherins. You better get this straightened out. Flying with Slytherins can be dangerous, especially with that rat Malfoy around." Hermione handed the schedule back to Melodi and stood to leave. "I'll meet you downstairs in the Common Room tomorrow morning and we can go to breakfast together with Harry and Ron. Okay?" Melodi nodded her head and thanked Hermione.  
"You're the best Hermione. Thanks for being so sweet." Hermione smiled at her and turned to go.  
"Get some rest; you're going to need it with two double classes tomorrow. I will see you in the morning. Goodnight." Hermione closed the door behind her. Melodi grabbed her pj's and headed to the bathroom she would be sharing with her roommates. The bathroom was all white marble with a large tub that had numerous spouts. In the corner were four showers, four stalls, and four sinks with an adjacent mirror. Melodi took the sink closest to the wall and brushed her teeth, washed her face and then changed into her dark red satin pj pants and tank top. She pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail and headed out to her bed. Ginny was reading, Lavender was still hanging up close and Parvati had gone down to the common room to chat for awhile. Melodi hung up her robes, and climbed into bed. "Good night ladies, see you in the morning!" she said as she pulled her curtain closed. She heard her roommate's goodnights and lay down, cuddling under blankets. Melodi closed her eyes, her mind wandering over what had happened today. Soon, she found herself focusing on just one thing, the beautiful blue eyes that had enraptured her earlier this afternoon, floated in her mind. She rolled over and tried to block out his face, but ever since Hermione had said his name, he had popped back into her head. A few minutes later, Melodi finally fell asleep, thoughts of Draco Malfoy still playing inside her head. 


	2. Hidden Depths

A/N- I do not own any of these characters except for Melodi and her parents. Any recognizable characters are property of JK Rowling. Please review, as this will help me judge what you like and don't like, so I can post chapters faster. Enjoy and Thanks!  
  
Mucho mucho thanks to my beta reader and all who reviewed. Just remember- the more reviews, the faster I type! ( - Kris  
  
Chapter 2: Hidden Depths  
  
The next morning, Melodi's alarm clock rang, dragging her out of a wonderful dream. 'Stupid bloody alarm clock!' She thought to herself as she pushed the curtain aside. Her roommates were still sleeping as Melodi grabbed a towel and a fresh pair of robes and headed toward her shower. The hot water was invigorating as it sprayed down her body. She quickly lathered shampoo on her hair, rinsed and washed herself with Cinnamon smelling soap. She turned off the hot water, toweled herself dry and changed into her robes. It was her favorite pair of robes, a midnight black color that gave the robe a blue tint with a purple satin lining on the inside. Melodi quickly brushed her teeth and cast a drying spell on her long black hair. Then she cast a styling spell that made two braids, connecting together in the back, like a crown around her hair. She smiled at herself in the mirror, ready to face the day and headed out to grab her books and meet Hermione in the Common Room. Lavender and Ginny had just woken up as Melodi grabbed her stuff. "Morning Ladies!" she said cheerfully. The grunted in reply as they too headed to take their showers. Apparently, they were not exactly morning people.  
  
Melodi was full of nervous anticipation as she walked quietly down the hall and to the stairs. Hermione, Ron and Harry were all sitting in chairs, ready and waiting for her. "Morning you guys!" she said as she approached them. The three friends looked up, smiling at her.  
"Morning Melodi!" Ron said enthusiastically.  
"Ready for your first day?" Harry asked. Melodi took a deep breath and smiled.  
"I am now. Lead the way!" she replied. The four students walked down to breakfast, laughing and talking about what the day would bring. As they entered the Great Hall, the scent of breakfast foods filled Melodi's nose, making her stomach growl softly. She took a seat at the Gryffindor table, Ron sat beside her; Harry and Hermione across the way. Soon other students filtered in for their morning meal- Lavender, Ginny and Parvati all came walking in together. Breakfast had been under way for a few minutes and Melodi's nerves had calmed down when she heard the already familiar voice of Draco Malfoy.  
"Morning Potty, Weasel and Mudblood." He sneered at the group of friends. Melodi felt somewhat hurt that he hadn't added her into his list of nicknames. 'Like I'm not even here,' she thought sadly. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned away, completely ignoring Draco's antagonizing. Harry mumbled something under his breath and went back to his food, following Hermione's lead, but Ron turned around, his face red with anger.  
"What do you want you dumb ferret? I can't wait for the day when I don't have to see your ugly face and hear your loud, obnoxious voice." Draco looked down at Ron, never missing a beat, as he said,  
"And I can't wait for the day when the Weasley's stop populating the earth with their poor, filthy genes." Ron's face grew even redder and he tried to lunge at Malfoy, but Harry was one step ahead, reaching over the table and grabbing Ron's shoulders.  
"Ron, it's not worth it. He's not worth it." Harry said in his friend's ear. "Just ignore him. He wants you to get angry so we'll lose House points. Just let it be and finish your breakfast." Ron shook Harry off and stomped away.  
  
Melodi had watched the whole thing out the corner of her eye, never saying a word and never showing that she was paying attention. Soon, the weight of the bench changed as Draco sat down next to her.  
"Not even going to say good morning to me Purpaidhrosg?" he whispered into her ear. Melodi felt shivers go down her spine at his words- purpaidhrosg or translated roughly, purple eyes. He spoke Gaelic! She had never met anyone else who spoke Gaelic. She turned to look at him, the disbelief and wonder obvious in her large violet eyes.  
"What did you call me?" she said, bewildered. Draco smirked at her, winked his eye and walked out of the Great Hall. Melodi stared after him, mouth agape and nerves buzzing.  
"Melodi? Melodi? Are you okay? What did he say to you?" Hermione was calling her name. Melodi turned to her friend, gathering her composure.  
"Nothing. It was nothing. He was just being gross is all. You know how he is." Melodi tried to shrug off the fact that Draco had startled her. Hermione seemed to accept her answer with a wary look.  
"We should be off to class now. You don't want to be late on your first day." Hermione stood up, Harry and Melodi followed suit and the three friends left the hall, heading toward Defense Against The Dark Arts.  
  
Draco watched from the shadows as Potter, Mudblood and Melodi all left the Great Hall. He snickered to himself; he just loved playing with people's heads. He had overheard her this morning when she was walking to breakfast with the Golden Trio. She had dropped a book and muttered to herself in Gaelic. She had said 'Gabhaibh mo leisgeul' which means 'Excuse me'. Draco remembered hearing his distant Scottish cousins murmuring that every time they were chided by their parents. He had been taught some Gaelic when he was younger; his mother had been eager for him to learn a basic understanding of many languages and he was incredibly multi-lingual. After he heard her speaking the language, he knew he had to say something to her. He didn't know why, but ever since he had first seen her in Potter's tramcar, he had been intrigued by her. Maybe it was her dark raven hair and amethyst eyes. Maybe it was the fact that she never had anything to say, unlike the whiny Mudblood who always had an opinion to put in.  
No matter what it was, Draco had not been able to get her out of his mind. She had even been in his dream last night. He smiled to himself as he walked to class, remembering his erotic dream. She had been dressed rather provocatively, wearing a short black strapless dress and knee high boots. What happened from there, he shook his head from remembering the rest of his fantasy. He had already had to deal with one erection this morning, no need to make it two. Draco walked into the classroom and took his seat when a loud, shrill voice filled the air "Drakey!!" Draco rolled his eyes and swallowed o keep his breakfast down. He turned just in time to see Pansy Parkinson, in all her gracelessness, stomping her way toward him. She took the seat next to him, cradling his arm in hers. "Oh Drakey I missed you so much over the summer. You were supposed to come visit me, what happened? Oh well, we have all year to catch up. Isn't that exciting?" she squealed into his ear, making Draco recoil unconsciously.  
"Exciting indeed." Draco replied dryly. Pansy continued to talk away as class began and Draco's mind soon wandered back to Melodi and her look of astonishment at breakfast. He smiled to himself, 'Exciting indeed.'  
  
Melodi didn't have much time to think on what Draco had said to her, classes kept her mind busy all morning. During Defense Against The Dark Arts, the new instructor, Professor Flounce, regaled them with stories about hunting grindylow's in random pools of water around England. He bounced around the room as he told his tales, acting out the battles and doing different voices for each character. Melodi tried to take notes, but was too wrapped up in Professor Flounce's performance. Before she knew it, the bell had rung and class was dismissed. Melodi followed Hermione, Harry and Ron out the door and into the hallway.  
"Wow! He is an awesome teacher!" Ron laughed. "Did you hear the part about how the grindylow grabbed the guy next to him and Professor Flounce cut off the arm and then the grindylow grabbed his sword and." Ron was waving his arms about all excited.  
"Ron! We were listening to the story also." Harry shook his head at the red head, a smile on his face. "We heard all about it.the first time." Ron turned beat red and the friends all laughed. It had been an interesting class, Melodi thought to herself. But she hadn't gotten a single page of notes to study from. Not that it was such a big worry, Melodi never really had a need for notes, her mind was exceptionally quick when it came to remembering things. She remembered when she was little, she would listen to her mother and Uncle Snape talk about potions and charms. Just by resting her head on her uncle's chest and closing her eyes, her mind would absorb everything they said. Later that month, if she closed her eyes and concentrated she could remember every single thing they had discussed. Her mind was like a sponge- taking in anything and everything. She supposed she was lucky for that, but it did come with a certain stipulation. Every bad thing that had ever been said to her, by someone else or by herself, stayed with her forever.  
Melodi woke up when she realized someone was talking to her. "I'm sorry what Harry? I didn't hear you." She said when she noticed him looking at her expectantly.  
"I said, how do you like classes so far?"  
"Oh, well, seeing as how I have only had the one so far, it's not bad at all. I didn't take as many notes as I had hoped, but I suppose I can remember most of what was told to us today. Professor Flounce has a different teaching style than I am used to, my private tutors never told personal stories, but it was enticing nonetheless." She smiled at Harry who seemed overwhelmed by her response.  
"Oh, ummm. well good then." He replied, walking ahead of Melodi and Hermione. Hermione started laughing when Harry was out of earshot.  
"Wow, you really confused him. I think he was expecting a simple yes or no answer" Hermione said, her laughter flashing in her eyes. "Harry is smart, but he is easily overwhelmed."  
"I didn't mean to overwhelm him, I was just simply answering his question." Melodi tugged at a piece of her long hair, angry at herself for upsetting a friend.  
"Don't worry about it Melodi. He'll be fine. He's just not used to anyone but me worrying about their studies and such. It's actually a relief to know that I am not the only girl around here who cares for her academics." Hermione nudged Melodi's shoulder and grinned at her. "Besides," she added playfully, "boys are stupid twits anyway." Melodi laughed and the two girls entered their next classroom, heading towards the seats Ron and Harry had saved for them.  
An hour later, Melodi was finishing packing up her books as her three friends waited for. History of Magic had been, unappealing, to say the least. She learned things that her tutors had covered almost two years ago. Melodi sighed in her head and followed her friends down to the Great Hall. Just before she could pass through the door, however, she heard a deep familiar voice call her name.  
"Miss DeRowane, may I please have a word with you, in private?"  
  
The four students turned around to see Professor Snape looming over them, clad in his usual black robes and sour expression. Hermione, Harry and Ron were all stunned. They had never seen a student get in trouble before even going to Snape's class. Melodi turned to her friends and whispered "I'll be back in a minute." The three students scurried off as Melodi followed Snape to a private hallway.  
"Uncle Sev!" Melodi practically shrieked as she threw her arms around him. A smile lit up her face as she hugged the uncle she thought she would never see again. However, her happiness died down when she realized that he was not returning her affection. She pulled back and looked up into his blank face.  
"Miss DeRowane, seeing as how I am now your Professor, all acts of affection will stop henceforth. You shall address me as Professor Snape and nothing else. Is that understood?" His words were like icy daggers in her heart and she swallowed the urge to cry as she shook her head in acceptance. "Good. Now that that problem is out of the way, I wanted to have this short discussion with you so that when you saw me in the classroom, you would not put on the show you just did. I also wanted to inform you that your mother has put me in charge of you for the whole time you are at Hogwarts. Therefore, any money you need will be given to you with my permission and your holidays will be spent here at Hogwarts. Understand now that it is only out of love for your mother, my dear cousin, that I do this for you. I want nothing more than to add 'babysitter' onto my list of things to do. You are almost 19 years old and I expect you to take responsibility for all that you do. That includes choosing your friends wisely. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are notorious for rule-breaking, if I even get word of you joining in their little escapades, I will send you straight home- making you the first and last transfer to ever grace Hogwarts doors. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Melodi shook her head, still absorbing the whole situation. Her uncle had changed from what she remembered. He had never, in all the time she knew him, spoken to her in such an angry, scornful manner. Melodi's eyes stung with unshed tears as she finally spoke. Her voice came out empty of emotion, her own inherited imitation of his tone- "Professor Snape, I fully understand the predicament that my family has placed you in. However, please do understand that I am capable of taking care of myself and intend to do so without your help." She made her words full of hate and venom as she continued on, " I appreciate your kindness in taking me into your loving arms, however, as you said previously, I am almost 19 and can be in charge of my own life. As for my financial position, all the money in my account, shall stay in my account. And the only permission I need to withdraw funds, is mine. I set up my own account when I turned sixteen. However, being that you weren't there, you did not know about that. So whatever money my mother has given you, please accept it as my gift of thanks to you and spend it on whatever you wish." Her violet eyes clouded over and her pupils started leaking over her irises, coloring everything black. Snape looked down at his niece, acting as defiant and cold as her father. Her words sent spears deep into his mind and when he looked at her again he was startled to see her rare amethyst eyes shifting black. Snape had never known anyone in his family to have that ability, and he fervently hoped that it was the shadow of the hallway playing tricks with his eyes. Deep down inside, he knew it wasn't the shadows at all. His niece had one of the covenanted abilities of The Powers of Morpheous. He kept the shock out of his face and listened to her words, a mixture of disbelief and curiosity building up inside of him. "Do know that I can choose my friends on my own accord and whether or not they are rule-breakers, as you say, they are my friends and only I shall decide otherwise. Now, before I miss the entirety of lunch, I bid you another thanks for your exceeding generosity and a fond farewell. See you in class, Professor." The last word was bitten off, acid and stinging. She turned on her heel and marched away from him, leaving Professor Snape without words, for the first time in his life.  
'Her eyes bled black!' Snape thought to himself as he walked towards the dungeons at a faster pace than normal. He had to check his books on The Powers of Morpheus. He was sure that was one of the first signs of the . unusual powers the book discussed. Snape almost shouted his passwords in his hurry as he entered his rooms. A thick dark red book sat on the very top shelf of his bookcase. He picked it up and flipped through the pages, stopping to read a passage. After a few minutes he gasped, despite himself. The passage read:  
" For decades, many have yearned to learn about the rumored Powers of  
Morpheus or the Skills of Dreams. It was foretold that Morpheus, God  
of Dream Visions, would bare forth an heir only once in the far and  
distant future. And to this heir he would grant his powers. The Powers  
of Morpheus are a rare and almost unheard of gift. Only one witch or  
wizard shall posses these rare talents.  
The heir of Morpheus's will not know she has acquired said powers  
until late in her adolescent life. When her eyes bleed black, it is  
the first sign of transformation. Soon to follow will be an  
unmatchable strength of arms and mind, a piercing defense that will  
render enemies helpless, the ability to shift forms both animate and  
inanimate, and the power to disappear. However, with this prophecy  
comes a word of caution: 'Ye who inherit the dreams must seek the  
light or else darkness will swallow the world.'" Snape snapped the book shut, his mind spinning. It just couldn't be! His niece was the one and only fabeled heir of Morpheus!  
  
Melodi stomped into the Great Hall and sat herself next to Ron, who had saved her a seat. Harry looked up at her, he opened his mouth to ask her how her meeting with Snape went when he tilted his head and looked at her weird. Melodi, turned to him, noticing his odd stare. "What?" she asked, reaching for her goblet of pumpkin juice. Harry blinked and then opened his mouth to speak.  
"Melodi, your eyes.they're completely black!" Ron and Hermione looked up, both stared at her, startled expressions on their faces.  
"What? What are you talking about?" Melodi searched around for a plate or spoon so she could see her reflection. She finally found an empty plate and held it up infront of her. Sure enough she saw her face, but instead of her violet eyes with their white surroundings, all that was there was black. Deep, shapeless black eyes that were blinking in time with her own body. Just as a scream rose in her throat, the black started receding, almost like water, going down a drain and into her pupils. Soon her eyes were back to normal, and Melodi couldn't put the plate down. What had just happened? 'I must be losing my mind!' she thought to herself. 'But they all saw it too. Not just me.' Finally, Melodi placed the plate back on the table and looked at her friends. "I don't know what that was." She shook her head and stood up. The next thing she knew she was running out of the Great Hall and towards the Gryffindor Tower. She needed to be alone, to figure out what was happening to her. Draco looked up from his lunch to see Melodi starring at herself in a plate. He lifted an eyebrow at her action and then noticed that the Golden Trio were all looking at her in a very odd fashion. He watched as Melodi put the plate down on the table, said something and then bolted from the hall. Draco stood and left the hall after her. He figured she would go to her Tower and took a back hallway to get there faster. He didn't know why he seemed compelled to see if she was alright. 'It's not that,' he thought to himself. 'I just want to see if I can make fun of her for anything.' The excuse sounded dumb even to himself. He shrugged it off and found himself standing outside the portrait to the Gryffindor Tower just as Melodi came rushing straight into him, knocking both of them over. Draco opened his eyes and became very aware of the soft body that lay on top of him. Black hair was sprawled across his chest, an arm was wrapped around his leg and a head was lolling around on the stone floor next to his right hand. "Bloody hell, woman!" he yelped, rolling her over and sitting her up. "You could've killed us with the rate of speed you were traveling. What the hell is the matter with you?!" Melodi heard his voice and felt him moving her around. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw him, looking down at her, an undistinguishable expression on his face. Instead of crying, like she thought she would have, anger rose up inside of her.  
"What the hell is the matter with me? What the hell is the matter with me?!" her voice started out as a hiss-like whisper that rose in volume as she stood up. "I will tell you what the matter is with me Malfoy. I am sick of being accused that there is something wrong with me. What the hell is the matter with you? This isn't even your tower, so what are you doing here? Explain to me please why you feel it necessary to make a pest of yourself everywhere you go. This would never have happened if you had been somewhere else. This is your fault! I can take care of myself, and there is nothing the matter with me! I am fine, perfectly fine!" Melodi knew she wasn't making sense, but all the rage at her uncle, the fear of what had happened to her at lunch and the fact that Malfoy was blaming her for their tumble made her temper volatile and explosive. And right now, she didn't care that she was taking all her frustrations out on someone who didn't exactly deserve it. Malfoy stared at her, mouth agape. No one had ever shouted at him, with the exception of his father. He didn't even know what she was talking about, and his own fury started to raise. "Now you listen here Sing-Song, I haven't done a damned thing wrong. And why I'm here is my business and my business alone. You got it?" Malfoy had grabbed her by the robe and pushed her roughly into the wall. He stared at her then, watching her purple eyes bleed black. 'Now you've done it Malfoy. You've gone and internally injured the girl. Nicely done.' He chided himself. He started to let her go when he felt her hand cover his. Before he knew what happened, she held Malfoy over her head, his feet dangling at least 7 inches off the ground. Malfoy stared down at her, fear blatant in his blue eyes.  
"Now you listen hear Malfoy." Her voice was rising in pitch, almost like a sick twisted song. "Don't you ever try to push me around again. I don't give a flying hoot if you are Voldemort's son, you touch me again and you won't live to regret it." Her voice was now a high-pitched whistle. Malfoy grew dizzy and his vision blurred. He was quickly becoming sick to his stomach and he regretted having the extra slice of ham for lunch. Before he could vomit all over himself, he found himself on the ground. Standing above him, Melodi looked shocked. Her hand was still in the air, but she was looking at it in fear. She turned her gaze to him, black eyes swallowing him. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened." She said for the second time in the past hour. With that she murmured the password to a very frightened fat lady and slammed the door behind her, leaving a stunned Malfoy on the floor just as Harry, Ron and Hermione rounded the corner. 


	3. The Mystery is Solved By All

Chapter 3: The Mystery is Solved by All  
  
Melodi hugged herself against the common room door. She was out of breath and panting wildly. Her lungs were tightening in her chest, making it hard to get any air. What had just happened? Too many thoughts were swirling in her head, she needed to lie down. All thoughts of class left her as she made her way up the stairs to her room. The room started to tilt around her, her legs weakened, and her stomach turned over. 'What is happening to me?!' she screamed in her head. Melodi tripped on a stair, but caught the railing to keep from falling down. Her vision blurred- colors were swimming through her eyes; red, purple, blue, all mixing together. And then her head was on something soft. 'I must've made it to my bed.' Her eyes closed and the colors surrounded her. Pictures flashed through her mind, like a movie in fast forward. In her dream, there were columns around her, like in the pictures that  
  
depicted antiquity. People were bowing before her, offering her foods, precious metals, fabrics of all colors and textures. She sat up high, as if on a gigantic throne. Whispers filled her mind, pleadings and prayers of the people who offered her the rich bounty. She saw herself, flying through the sky, weaving in and out of the clouds on her way from house to house. She would land next to a person, whisper in their ear and then fly away. The next flash was of her in a battle. Her voice was shrill and pierced through the air like javelins, each one finding a target. Men, soldiers, warriors dropped to their knees before her, covering their ears in agony. Full grown men passed out after vomiting up their insides. Still the piercing sounds did not stop. Soon, the men closest to her started to tremble violently. Their skin looked like wax under a fire, bubbling and shifting on their bodies. The flesh melted away, muscle mass spilled out over the cold earth, and all that remained were the skeletons of men. Moans of inexplicable horror filled her ears, but she could not stop. When a grave silence settled over her, the noise stopped. She looked around, pleased at her handiwork.  
  
The next flash was of her, lying in the middle of a large bed. She was wrapped in silks and satins of all colors, bowls of fruit lay next to her, beautiful women and men lay at the foot of her bed. She caught the flash of metal through the corner of her eye. Suddenly, a pain ripped through her, but a hand covered her mouth so she could not scream. The lethal determination of the blade's wielder was evident in the pain that shot  
  
through her writhing body. She felt herself disappearing and she looked down, she knew she was still on the bed, but she could not see herself. The hand was startled and pulled away. 'Kill it, kill it now!' She heard an angry male voice over her head. The pain continued to course through her body. She knew she wasn't strong enough to move, or use her voice to save her. It was the end. She felt another, unearthly stab of pain, then another and another, until they all rolled into one massive agony. The last thing she heard as she slipped away, was her own voice, gurgling on death. Then it was all black.  
  
"Malfoy! What in bloody hell are you doing here? Where's Melodi?" Hermione almost tripped over him as she rounded the corner to the portrait. She looked down at him, his skin was paler than normal and he was sweating profusely. Malfoy looked up at the three friends and tried to smirk.  
"Your little psychotic friend slammed into me on her way into the Tower. I suggest you put her on a leash, seeing as how you can't keep her under control. Now, if you three don't mind, I'd like to get as far away from the Gryffindor Tower as possible." With that he shakily stood up and hobbled away. Hermione watched as he left. 'Something is not right here, but I don't know what.' she thought to herself. Harry was talking to the Fat Lady in the portrait who was excitedly telling him what happened.  
".and then before I even knew what happened, she had that mean- mouthed little boy raised above her head with just one hand. The most amazing thing I've ever seen. She was still yelling at him, but I don't quite remember what she was saying because her voice was so unusual that I had to cover my ears. Then he was on the ground and she was inside. Amazing sight, if I do say so myself, and I do! I cannot wait to tell the other portraits at tea time, they won't believe what happened ." Harry said his thanks and the password. The fat lady was still chattering as they all entered the common room. The three friends circled around but there was no sign of Melodi anywhere.  
"Hermione, you should go check the girl's tower. Maybe she locked herself in her room." Ron suggested. Hermione nodded and headed up the stairs. Before she got halfway up, she saw Melodi lying in the middle of the hallway, unconscious.  
"You guys! She's unconscious! We have to get her to Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione called from the stairs. Hermione put the mobilius spell on Melodi's form and floated her down the stairs.  
  
The three friends took turns floating her to the hospital wing. When they got there, they set her on a bed as Madame Pomfrey came running out.  
"What happened to the poor dear?!"  
"Madame Pomfrey, we're not sure. We found her like this in Gryffindor Tower. We thought it best to just bring her here to you." Harry informed the medi-witch as she bustled about performing spells to see what happened to Melodi.  
"Well, I'm glad you did. Now Harry, you go get Professor Dumbledore while Hermione and Ron, you two go to whatever class you had next and inform the Professor of the situation. When you have finished with that, stay in class and don't worry about your friend here; she'll be fine under my care." Madame Pomfrey did all but physically push them out of the room.  
"She will be okay, right Hermione?" Ron asked, a worried look in his eyes.  
"She will be fine Ron. You heard Madame Pomfrey, don't worry about it. Now come on, our next class is Potions with Snape. And this is a something I'd rather get over sooner than later."  
  
Snape paced around the classroom, watching as the dimwitted seventh year Gryffindors attempted to make a simple Skele-grow Potion. He grimaced at the fact that the Golden Trio and his niece were all missing from class. But he had warned himself, he could not show any outright concern. He had just headed over to Longbottom's cauldron when his classroom door opened, allowing Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley to enter.  
"Perhaps, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, you would both like to spend two weeks of detention with myself for being over 20 minutes late for your first potions class. 50 points each from Gryffindor. Now, please take your seats and begin working." Snape made his words icy and venomous. No one dared to come in that late to his class.  
"Professor Snape, we were late because." Hermione started to explain after she and Ron had sat at their desks.  
"Miss Granger, I do not care about the details of how or why you were late. They are inconsequential to me."  
"But, Professor Snape." Ron tried to cut in,  
"Another 20 points from Gryffindor for disobeying a Professor. Now both of you be quiet!" Snape's voice thundered out in the stone classroom, echoing off the walls. Just as his voice died down, Harry came waltzing through the door. Snape turned to him, fury making his voice as cold as steel. "Welcome, Mr. Potter. So nice of you to finally join us. Please do take a seat. Oh, yes, and another 50 points from Gryffindor." Snape laughed in his head, Gryffindor was losing points by the second.  
"Professor Snape, I just came from Madame Pomfrey. She sent me to get Dumbledore because Hermione, Ron and I found the new student, Melodi DeRowane, unconscious in the Gryffindor Tower. We took her to the hospital wing. That's why we were all late. Madame Pomfrey told us to tell you." Harry said, after looking at his two friends, both staring angrily at Professor Snape.  
Snape caught himself before he reacted. Melodi was hurt? What could have happened to her in the Tower to leave her unconscious? But Snape knew the answer already- the Skills of Dreams. Morpheus' heir was starting her transformation. He didn't know exactly what that entailed, but if it had left Melodi unconscious, it couldn't have been good. He had to see her, make sure she was okay. 'Damnit man, she's old enough to take care of herself. Just let it be. She said today she didn't want your help anyway.' Snape mentally shook himself. What was he saying? She didn't know what she needed, she was still a child. A stubborn child, nonetheless, being one of his kin. Snape thought quickly as the students started finishing their potions. He would go see her once classes were over. "As soon as you've finished your potions, bottle them and then you are dismissed." Snape turned and sat as his desk, pretending to mark papers as he waited for the last student to hand in his potion.  
Surprisingly, Hermione, Ron and Harry had all finished their potions first and sped out of the classroom, no doubt in a hurry to check on their friend. When the last student had left, Snape headed towards the hospital wing. He walked in to see the three Gryffindors, Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore all surrounding Melodi's bed. Dumbledore turned around as Snape approached.  
"Severus, old boy. She's going to be fine. But I do think there are some things that you and I must discuss." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. 'Bloody twinkle. Does it ever stop?' Snape asked himself.  
"Why does that greasy old git care about her?" Ron whispered to Harry. Harry shrugged and looked away as Snape's glare was turned toward him.  
"If you really must know, Mr. Weasley. This 'greasy old git' cares for her, because she is my niece. Not that it is any of your business." Snape replied, slight fury making his voice heavy. The shocked expressions on the three students and Madame Pomfrey were almost too much for Severus. He almost wanted to laugh. Almost.  
"Your. niece?"  
"Yes, Miss Granger, my niece. I did not think that you of all people would have to be informed of the meaning of the word." Snape's sarcastic remark hit its mark as Hermione winced and then glared.  
"I know very well what the word means, Professor. I just did not expect the two of you to be related. I mean, Melodi's so nice and you're." Hermione covered her mouth with her hand before she finished her sentence, but her words hung in the air.  
"And I'm so what Miss Granger? Mean and old and insufferable? I have been called worse." Snape turned back to Professor Dumbledore and his still twinkling eyes, dismissing the three gawking students behind him. "Headmaster, perhaps we should discuss my niece's wellbeing. Now is as good a time as any." Dumbledore nodded and the two walked to his office, leaving the Golden Trio open mouthed and wide eyed, staring at their unconscious friend.  
  
Draco was pushing his food around on his plate. He was anxious. Potter, Weasel and Mudblood were nowhere to be seen. Along with them, Melodi was gone too. Draco thought back to this afternoon. He had never experienced anything like it, especially at the hands of a girl his age. Her eyes, her voice, and her strength- it scared him but he still felt drawn to her. 'Of course I'm drawn to her, all Slytherins are drawn to power.' He chided himself. Draco felt his stomach shift. Ever since this afternoon, he had been nauseous to no end. Before he could stop it the feelings from this afternoon flooded over him. Pain shot through his head and stomach, causing him to wince and stand up from the table.  
"Where you going Drakey?" Pansy whined as she noticed him leaving. She grabbed his arm to pull him back down, but he shrugged her off violently.  
"I have work to do Pansy. Let me be." He did his best to walk normally out of the Great Hall. As he turned the corner that led to the Slytherin Tower, Draco suffered another bout of pain, this time worse than the last. His vision wavered, and he felt himself struggling to not vomit. He stumbled down the hall and right into a mass of flesh. He gazed up into twinkling eyes; he groaned loudly and passed out at the feet of Professors Dumbledore and Snape.  
  
Snape paced Dumbledore's office, trying to work out a way to word his thoughts. Dumbledore sat as his desk, hands steepled in thought. "Well, Severus, is there something you wish to tell me?" Dumbledore voiced. Snape smirked; Dumbledore knew very well what Snape had to tell him. 'Well, no use in talking around it then.' Snape thought to himself.  
"Headmaster, my niece, she's..she's different." Snape started. Dumbledore nodded his head, signaling for Snape to go on. "She.Headmaster, have you ever heard of the fabled Powers of Morpheus?" Snape went on, not waiting for an answer. "It says that the old God Morpheus would choose only one heir, and to this heir he would bestow his powers. Morpheus' heir would go through a transformation of sorts, though the text does not go into detail about what this transformation includes. It does, however, describe the powers this heir shall receive. 'When her eyes bleed black, it is the first sign of transformation. Soon to follow will be an unmatchable strength of arms and mind, a piercing defense that will render enemies helpless, the ability to shift forms both animate and inanimate, and the power to disappear.' Headmaster, I was.discussing matters with my niece in the hall, and she got angry. Her eyes turned completely black, just like the text says! My niece is the heir of Morpheus!" Snape banged his fist on the back of a chair.  
Dumbledore sat quietly for a minute as Snape glared at the fireplace.  
  
"Severus, I already know the answer to this question but, does the child know all of this?"  
"Of course not! I didn't learn this information myself until lunch. And since she was unconscious at the time, I was not able to speak with her about during or after class."  
"I understand." Dumbledore gazed carefully at Snape, searching him. "Severus, is there anything else that you aren't telling me?"  
Snape grimaced. Of course there was more, there was always more. Nothing came without a warning label.  
"The text also says 'Ye who inherit the dreams must seek the light or else darkness will swallow the world.' Headmaster, I believe this warning has to do with the War against Voldemort." Another thought suddenly struck Snape as he sat, overwhelmed in his chair. "And I think that may be the reason my cousin sent her to us. She wrote me a letter and in it she said that her husband was trying to get Melodi to join the Dark lord, but she wouldn't stand for it. Maybe she had reason to believe her husband was so intent on getting Melodi to join because they knew she was going to be receiving those powers."  
Dumbledore sat back in his chair. "That may be, Severus. I do not want to take the chance of owling anyone about this just yet. Let us go to dinner, and then we can head back to the infirmary and see how your niece is doing. I heard that the house elves have been preparing a wonderful meal for tonight's dinner, it would be a shame for us to miss out on it."  
Snape rolled his eyes. Dumbledore was always focused on food of some sort. Although he did not want to spend anymore time with a hall full of students, he followed Dumbledore down to the Great Hall. The two were walking side by side when Draco Malfoy stumbled into their vision and collapsed onto the floor. He looked up, eyes glossed over, and groaned loudly. Snape couldn't keep the look of shock off of his face. He had only heard a groan like that when the Dark Lord was torturing someone. Then the boy passed out at his feet.  
Dumbledore and Snape hurriedly picked up the boy and rushed him to the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey came flying out, "Good heavens, what has happened with this one?! Two in one day, my word!" Snape sat the boy on the bed across from Melodi and Poppy rushed around mending Draco.  
Snape and Dumbledore sat, watching as all of a sudden Draco's body convulsed and he started dry-heaving violently. Madame Pomfrey strapped him down to the bed and poured a vial of green liquid down his throat.  
"Severus, don't just sit there, come help me get him under control. He's going to vomit up his insides if we don't stop it!" she shrieked across the room. Snape jumped up and went over to the bed, holding Draco's head still so Poppy could continue pouring vial after vial down his throat. Dumbledore, did his part by unstoppering the vials and handing them to the medi-witch. After a few minutes, that seemed to take forever, Draco's body stopped convulsing and he went limp.  
"Poppy is he okay?" Dumbledore asked, a worried look in his old eyes.  
"He'll be fine Headmaster. You got him here just in time." She sighed as she sat down next to Draco's bed.  
"What caused this?" Snape asked, staring at Draco's limp form. Poppy ran her hands down her arms, as if suppressing a chill.  
"I'm not positive. I never thought I would see something like this, but I did learn about something like it. When I was going through training, one of my instructors told us all about this incredible power that can cause a long and tortuous death. It starts with a dizzying headache that paralyzes the person, then it causes the victim to literally vomit up their insides- intestines, stomach lining, everything." The older woman shook with her memories. "That's not the worst though. Soon, the skin starts to boil and melt, whatever wasn't vomited up leaks out once the skin is gone, and all that remains is a skeleton."  
"Poppy, I know this isn't my area of expertise, but, how did you know that..THAT would happen to Draco? How did you know it wasn't something else?" Dumbledore gently prodded the woman for answers. Poppy sighed again, collecting herself before she spoke.  
"In all honesty, I never would have guessed it if I hadn't used my wand to check him over. His body was glowing bright silver. I have never seen that before. Each injury and medical issue has its own color, that's why I always double check a patient with my wand, to make sure I have accurately diagnosed the problem. Nothing that I have ever studied glows silver. When I didn't recognize it, I remembered what my instructor told me."  
Snape and Dumbledore looked at each other. They didn't have to voice their concern, each knew what the other was thinking- The Powers of Morpheus.  
  
Ron, Harry and Hermione sat in their common room. Hermione was trying to study while Ron and Harry played a game of Wizard's Chess. After a half hour or so, Hermione was no further along in her studies, and Ron had successfully beat Harry three times in a row.  
"What's the matter Harry? This is your third loss! I know I'm good, but you're flattering me right now." Ron tried to grin at his friend, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Harry sighed and sat back in his seat, pushing his glasses up his nose.  
"I'm just worried about Melodi. I mean, I just wish I knew what was wrong and what had happened. I feel so useless just sitting here." Harry's voice was full of despondence. He looked up at his two friends, knowing that they felt the same way. It was there, in all of their eyes, that forlorn look a person gets when they are totally helpless to do anything but wait and worry. Harry turned to Hermione, the Head Girl knew all the rules. "Maybe if we go, Madame Pomfrey will let us see her?"  
"I don't see why not. After all, it isn't after hours yet." Hermione smiled her answer. "But I doubt she will let us stay too long. Melodi may not even be conscious yet." The three headed in silence down the corridors and to the hospital wing. There was no sign of Madame Pomfrey so they headed towards Melodi's bed. Ron and Harry took the two seats on Melodi's right side, leaving Hermione to go fetch a chair from across the room. As she was lifting the chair, Hermione noticed a figure in the bed across the room. Was that. no! It couldn't be, could it? Also unconscious, in the bed directly across from Melodi's, lay Draco Malfoy.  
"Hey you two, look at this." Hermione crossed to Draco's bedside, looking over him to see what was wrong. There were no visible signs of ailment or injury, just a grave stillness to his usually animate form. "Malfoy is unconscious too. I wonder what's going on." Harry and Ron both looked over at the bed, not bothering to get up.  
"Serves him right, stupid bastard." Ron muttered, turning his gaze back to Melodi. Hermione shrugged and carried her chair to join her friends. 'Wait! Wasn't Malfoy limping away today before we found Melodi? What if someone attacked them? No, that's not right. What did the Fat Lady in the Portrait say. something about an unusual voice?' Hermione was chewing her bottom lip in thought.  
"Harry, what did the Fat Lady in the Portrait say to you today right before we found Melodi?" Hermione questioned her friend. Harry closed his eyes, willing himself to remember.  
"I think she said something about how Melodi lifted Draco in the air, then dropped him and ran into the room." Harry replied.  
"No, not that part. The part about an unusual voice or something."  
"Oh, well she said that Melodi was yelling at Draco, but she didn't hear what was being said because Melodi's voice was unusual and she had to cover her ears." Harry paused, his mind starting to click. "Come to think of it, that's a weird thing to say. I could understand if she had to cover her ears because Melodi's voice was loud, but she said it was unusual. What do you think she meant by unusual?"  
"I don't know Harry, but I'm going to find out. I'll see you two later, I'm going to the library." Hermione dashed out of the hospital wing and down the corridors to the library. The whole trip, all she could think of was what the woman in the portrait had said 'unusual voice'. Hermione made her way into the back part of the library, scanning the rows as she went. She pulled out book after book on myths, legends, fables, and fairytales. 'Unusual voice.' It ran through her mind as she flipped through page after page, searching for she didn't know what. It was on the tip of her mind, but she couldn't remember specifically what she needed.  
"Ha!" Hermione yelped when she found the topic that had been eluding her. The book 'Great Fables and Fairytales of The Magic World' lay open to a chapter entitled 'Greek Fable 10: Morpheus' Heir of Power'. Hermione quickly read the chapter and gasped when she finished. 'Unusual voice. One of the Powers of Morpheus is a voice defense.' She reread the passage to make sure she was correct:  
"Morpheus was known not only for his ability to create and alter dreams, but also for his unique powers of defense. It is said that during battles, Morpheus' incredible strength matched no other, he could take down thirty men with one swipe of an arm. However, Morpheus' greatest power lay in his voice. During the Battle of The Immortals, Greece's army marched towards the gods and goddesses and presented a mighty force. The Immortals were weakening, and their one hope lay in Morpheus. Standing on a cliff above the marching army, Morpheus was said to have made a sound like no other. The opposing army fell to it's knees as the unusual voice echoed across the valley. Men fell were they stood, vomiting up their insides. Soon after, their skin melted away, their muscles leaked out, and all that was left was an army of skeletal bones."  
Hermione shivered 'The woman in the portrait said Melodi lifted Draco over her head. She would need to be incredibly strong to lift a seasoned Quidditch seeker.' At the same time, the words 'incredible strength' flashed through her mind. 'And she has the unusual voice. I bet she used that on Malfoy too. That's why he was hobbling away, and that's why he's unconscious now.' Hermione shut the book and stared at the cover, willing herself to not think the next thought, but she couldn't help it. Melodi was the heir.  
The clock rang the time, fifteen minutes till curfew. Hermione checked out the book she had been reading and headed to her room. She needed time to think, and of course she needed to figure out how to explain this all to Harry and Ron without them both flipping out.  
  
Later that night, Draco rolled over and groaned, opening his eyes from the pain. He looked around, he wasn't in his room. Where was he? All he remembered was leaving dinner and.the pain and. those eyes. Dumbledore's eyes. He must've passed out and the Headmaster brought him here.  
Draco sat up in bed, running a hand through his sticky hair. He needed a shower, his entire body was covered in a film of dried sweat. He noticed a form across the room. Someone else was spending the night in the hospital wing too. Against his body's wishes, Draco pulled the blankets off of himself and set his feet on the floor. The cold tiles bit his skin, but he stood up, knowing the sharp cold would soon ebb away. He silently and stealthily crossed the floor to the opposite bed. His eyes gazed down at the long black hair that was covering the sterile white pillow and blankets. Melodi. What was she doing here? 'This must be why she wasn't at dinner.' He thought to himself. What had happened? Then he remembered back to this afternoon and shuddered.  
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and a loud gasp echoed through the room. Her eyes were solid black. He stepped back, but she didn't seem to notice him. Her eyes were looking at him, but not. He watched as the dark eyes seemed to disappear, and then her regular violet eyes were back. She still wasn't looking at him though; her eyes were in a mindless gape. Draco stepped back again, scared he would do something to disturb her, wherever she was. He crossed back to his bed, and saw that Melodi's eyes had closed once again. But now she didn't look dead, she just looked like she was sleeping. The awkward stillness that surrounded her was gone; her chest rising and falling with every breath.  
'At least someone can sleep around here.' Draco thought sullenly as he wrapped the blankets around himself. 'I wish I could fall asleep like that.' Draco closed his eyes, inhaled and fell into a deep, restful sleep. 


	4. Musings

Author's Note: Yea....so school totally took over my life for the past few months, and I apologize for not being able to write some more to the story. However, things are almost settled down now, and I have slightly more free time to sit at my computer and absorb myself into the Harry Potter world. So hopefully, chapters shall be coming without too much more delay...but I make no promises. Also, a special thanks to all reviewers!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters except for Melodi and her parents. Any and all recognizable characters are property of J.K. Rowling and I am sort of using them to play with for awhile. I am not making money off of this, just fulfilling some long drawn out fantasies I have.

* * *

Chapter 4: Musings

Draco woke up the next day to the sounds of chatter. He opened his eyes to see Potter, Weasley and Granger all sitting across the room from him. Potter and Weasley were playing Wizard's Chess and Granger had her nose in a book. Draco rolled his eyes, and sat up. "If the three of you wouldn't mind, some of us are trying to sleep over here." The three friends all turned to look at Draco. "Sorry Malfoy, didn't mean to disturb you." Hermione said sincerely.  
"Well, you did. What are you three rejects doing here anyways? Shouldn't you be in classes?"  
Ron shook his head. "Stupid prat, it's 5:30pm; classes are over for the day." 5:30 pm! Draco had slept the whole day away! It was only the second day of school, and already he was behind. Draco fell back into his bed; he was still too tired to do any kind of arguing with the Golden Trio. He heard someone's stomach growl, and looked up to see Ron red-faced with embarrassment.  
"Ron! Maybe we should go get that stomach of yours something to eat before it digests itself." Harry laughed. Ron turned bright red and nodded his head.  
"Food sounds real good. Come on Hermione, let's go get some food while we can."  
Hermione shook her head. "I'm not hungry. You two go on without me."  
Harry shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself." The two boys picked up their chess game and headed out of the infirmary. Hermione looked back at her book, biting her lower lip. Draco settled back into his sheets, getting ready to go to sleep again. Just as he had closed his eyes, Hermione's voice filled the room.  
"Draco? What happened between you and Melodi?" Draco opened his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about Granger?"  
"Malfoy, I know I may be a... mudblood," Hermione choked on the word, "but I'm not stupid and I'm not blind. You were limping away from the Gryffindor Tower, where we, soon after, found Melodi unconscious. Then, all of a sudden, you're in the infirmary also? It's not just a coincidence Malfoy." Draco sighed, running his hand though his sticky hair. "Nothing happened Granger, just leave it alone. I just had some bad ham at dinner, okay?" He turned his head away from her gaze.  
"You're lying Malfoy. I can see right through you." Draco felt his temper rising. "**GRANGER! NOTHING HAPPENED! SHUT YOUR STUPID MUDBLOOD MOUTH**! You think you're such a damn know-it-all. The only thing you are is a dirty blooded reject that asks too many questions." He half expected her to run off crying, but she didn't. She screwed her face up in determination.  
"Malfoy, you can say what you want about me. I've stopped caring about what people like you think. But, you don't understand how important all of this is!" Hermione bit her lip. She didn't want to tell him the whole story. He didn't need to know abut Melodi's gifts, Merlin, she hadn't even told Harry and Ron yet, but Draco wasn't listening. He didn't realize how important this was.  
"Mudblood, you have officially lost your mind."  
"Shut up Malfoy. You don't get it do you? Melodi is..."  
"Miss Granger! I would appreciate your not talking about my niece. Don't you have hallways to attend to, being as how you are Head Girl? Or should we have a discussion with the Headmaster and see if we can find someone competent enough to do the job?" Snape's voice had cut her off before she could finish her sentence. 'Stupid twit,' Snape thought to himself, 'what on earth was she badgering the young Malfoy for?' Snape looked at the book that Granger was frantically clutching. 'Ahhh, the bookworm dug up some information on her own. She always was too damn smart for her own good. If she had the brains for research, she should at least have the intelligence to realize that secrecy on this topic was the best. Telling Malfoy would start a massive chain of rumor that would only encourage Voldemort to come get Melodi. He was going to have to have a long talk with Miss Granger.'  
If anyone had been paying close enough attention, the look on Draco's face, when Snape announced his relation with Melodi, was priceless. Disbelief mixed with pure shock. 'Melodi is Snape's niece? What the... How in the world did Snape, of all people, end up having a niece like Melodi? That means Snape has actual relatives.' He hadn't been expecting that at all. He started imagining multiple Snapes trolling along through the Wizarding world, scaring people every which way. That was something he was going to have to think about later. Right now, watching his Head of House berate the know-it-all was definetly more entertaining. Draco's face slowly returned to normal as Snape continued to criticize Granger. 'She really is too damn nosey. Why did it matter what happened between him and Melodi? What had happened?' Draco didn't even know where to begin on that subject. All he knew was that it was not an experience worth repeating.  
"Now, Miss Granger, I would suggest you stop pestering Mr. Malfoy and return to your duties, unless of course you would like two weeks worth of detention with yours truly." Snape stood frozen as the Gryffindor pest gathered her things and stomped defiantly out of the infirmary. Then he turned his gaze on Malfoy. "Mr. Malfoy, I suggest you get some sleep and ignore Miss Granger's annoyingly rude interrogation. I will see to it that it does not happen again. Good evening." And with that Snape twirled his cape dramatically around himself and left the room.  
Draco blinked in the suddenly eerie silence and lay back against his pillow. 'Finally some peace and quiet.' He had had more excitement than he knew what to do with. Waking up to the Gryffindor Trio had put him in a rotten mood and he wished for someone or something to take it out on. Draco was looking around the room for something to curse when Madame Pomfrey came bustling into the room.  
"Oh! Good Evening Draco. I'm glad to see you're awake. You gave us all a great scare last night. Here, take this." The medi-witch handed him a vial of green liquid which he forced down his throat. Draco gagged, the concoction was disgusting! It tasted like a mix between sweaty socks and animal droppings. He glared angrily at the medi-witch, "If you are going to force me to take this ... medicine...the least you can do is flavor it so it doesn't taste so disgusting."  
"I had thought of that Mr. Malfoy, but tossing in some flavors would ruin the effects of the potion. Besides, it isn't half as bad as you like to think it is." Madame Pomfrey turned away and Draco continued to glare at her as she toddled over to Melodi's bed to check on her other patient. Draco's face turned into a worried stare as Madame Pomfrey bustled about, taking Melodi's temperature and tucking her under the blankets.  
"Madame Pomfrey, has she woken up yet?" Draco asked, a tinge of nervousness in his voice.  
"No. She's been here over a day and hasn't shown any signs of life yet. Poor dear, what a way to start the school year, she didn't even make it through the first day. I swear this school has something against transfer students."  
"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Madame Pomfrey sighed. "Not exactly. I've never seen anything like this before. But, with the help of Headmaster Dumbledore and the faculty, I'm sure we can figure it out relatively soon. All I can do is continue to check her to make sure she's comfortable." Draco nodded his head at her answer. In the back of his mind he started thinking 'Did I have something to do with this? Was the Mudblood right, did this happen because of ...' Draco shook his head, he didn't want to think about that yet. He just wanted to get back to sleep. Sleep, it sounded so good. For what seemed like the hundredth time, Draco settled under the blankets and closed his eyes. But this time, he was able to fall asleep.

* * *

Hermione hurried into the Great Hall and took a seat next to Ron. He was eating a piece of chicken like a starving wolf. In between bites he turned to her, "Hey 'Mione. I thought you weren't hungry? Did Draco bother you?" Hermione sighed. "No. Snape came in and told me to start doing my Head Girl duties or he would personally speak to Dumbledore and find someone who could do the job." She grabbed a cup of pumpkin juice and took a sip. Anger always made her mouth dry. After one sip, she pushed it away from her. She needed to tell the boys about Melodi. But how was she supposed to broach this topic. Just waltz up and start a conversation saying; "Hey guys. Did you get the homework assignment for potions? Oh, and by the way our new friend can kill any army of people just by opening her mouth, and she can change shapes, and she can turn invisible."? It was not something they would take lightly. It wasn't something anyone would take lightly. "Hermione? Are you okay? You've been weird all day." Harry was looking at her, head tilted to the side, one of his dark locks falling in his eyes. "I'm fine. But there is something that we all need to talk about. Not right now, but soon. In private." Hermione's voice lowered to a whisper. "I can't go into it here. I'll let you know when, okay?" With that, Hermione got up and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving her two best friends looking after her and wondering just what the hell she was being so secretive about.

* * *

Melodi's eyes fluttered open and she groaned. Her head was throbbing and her mouth was dry. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. A dozen or so beds lined both sides of the room. They were all sterile and dressed in white sheets. Each had a little side table next to it on either side. She turned her head and saw that hers had a small bouquet of hand picked flowers and some cards lining the top of it. Those had to be from Ron, Harry and Hermione. Melodi took a deep breath in and let it out. Everything came flooding back into her mind. It was only the first week of school and she had already labeled herself an outsider. Her Uncle hated her, she was hiding from her friends, she had almost killed Draco Malfoy, and some weird stuff was happening to her mentally and physically. Damn her mother for sending her to school at Hogwarts! She would have been perfectly fine finishing up her home-schooling studies and then marrying the man of her dreams. Her father had always lectured her about finding a suitor that was extremely wealthy and came from a powerful wizarding family. That's how he and her mother had met, and that was how she was going to marry. But Melodi's mother disagreed, Melodi should marry for love, not power or money. Her mother had taught her that nothing compared to love. "If you have love, you will be rich for life." That was her mother's favorite saying. Melodi laughed to herself, her voice coming out ragged from her overly sore throat. 'Who would love a stupid nobody like me? Especially after this.'  
  
Melodi heard rustling from across the room. She sat up slowly, groaning from the aches in her muscles. There was someone sleeping in the bed across from her. All she could see was a head of blond hair that seemed to glow in the darkness of the room. She knew who it was, the only person with hair that color, Draco Malfoy. Melodi caught a sob rising in her throat. He had to be here because of her. She must have hurt him badly. Everything was her fault. 'Now he'll never speak to me again, never mind go out with me.' Melodi fell back into her pillow as tears fell silently down her cheeks. She had to get out of this school, it was no good for her. She would send a note to her mother tomorrow, telling her everything that had happened and how she desperately wanted to come home. Then, she would wait it out. Her mother would never deny her, never. All she had to do, until she left, was avoid everyone, especially Draco. 


	5. Special Project

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters except for Melodi and her parents. Any and all recognizable characters are property of J.K. Rowling and I am sort of using them to play with for awhile. I am not making money off of this, just fulfilling some long drawn out fantasies I have.

Chapter 5: Special Project

Snape paced around his room. This was all happening too fast. Melodi had just gotten here, she couldn't possibly be developing her powers this quickly. Unless... of course! Melodi had to have been showing signs of changing at home. Why else would her mother have sent her here? It all made sense now.

"Bloody hell Portia. You knew she was already changing, and you sent her anyways!" Severus was the only one in the room, but he continued talking, "You didn't want your husband to know, I realize that. And I suppose it was the only thing you could do." The potions master sighed and sat down in his chair, staring into the flames of his fireplace. "A little warning would have been nice, dear cousin. What am I supposed to do with a changing witch? Especially a teenage one?" He was going to have to do some major research on this topic. There had to be something in the library about this kind of thing. If worse came to worse, he supposed he and the Headmaster could devise a plan of some sort. They were going to have to figure out a way to help Melodi through her changes. But before he could do any of that, he was going to have to tell her the entire situation...especially before Miss Bloody-Know-It-All Granger did.

* * *

Draco rolled over, the sunlight pouring right into his eyes. He covered his face with his hand and sat up.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, good morning!" Professor Dumbledore was standing in the middle of the hospital room, his eyes twinkling. "How are you feeling?"

Draco sat up, he was grumpy, groggy, and still incredibly sore.

"Terrible. Am I not mistaken in thinking this is the hospital ward?"

"That it is my boy, why do you ask?"

"Well, I was under the impression that when in a hospital ward, people were able to rest and sleep. I have not been able to do much of either with everyone walking and talking in here."

The elderly man grinned despite Draco's rude comments.

"My apologies Mister Malfoy. I assure you that all the 'hustle and bustle' was necessary."

Draco crossed his arms over his chest and sat in stoney silence. 'Stupid old man.' He thought to himself as his eyes followed Dumbledore over to Melodi's bed. It was empty!

Draco felt his heart jump into his mouth. Where was she? He was sure she had been there last night.

"Madame Pomfrey took her for a walk and a shower."

Dumbledore's voice answered Draco's questioning look. "Don't worry, she's on her way to full recovery."

Draco turned his gaze to the Headmaster. A small smile was hidden behind the long white beard. Draco forced his face to become expressionless.

"I wasn't worried, just curious." Draco's voice was dry and dull. 'Why should I be worried, she's not my girlfriend or anything.' He gasped in his own head. Where had that thought come from? Melodi, his girlfriend? No, no, no, no. The potion he had taken was making him delusional. He needed ... he didn't know what he needed. He needed to get out of the hospital ward, that much was certain.

He heard low voices down the hall and turned to see Madame Pomfrey and Melodi slowly walking towards him and the Headmaster.

* * *

"Don't worry dear, by this time tomorrow, you will be back to brand new. You are getting better rapidly!" Madame Pomfrey had her hand on Melodi's back and left arm but she wasn't actually supporting the young witch. Madame Pomfrey was surprised to see how quickly Melodi had recovered. She had been unconscious when first brought to the hospital wing, and now, now she was perfectly fine. She could go back to classes today but Poppy wanted to keep her a few more nights to observe her.

Melodi was feeling completely better. Her head was clear, her limbs were lithe and loose. Even catching up on her classes wasn't an issue, she was so far ahead of everyone else. She only had to worry about Draco and even on that issue she pretty much knew what she was going to do. She was just going to ignore him and avoid him until her mother came to get her from Hogwarts. Tonight she was going to write out her letter and owl it to her house. It was the only way out of this awful situation.

Melodi and Madame Pomfrey rounded the corner leading back to the beds and Melodi saw Draco, sitting up in bed and talking to the Headmaster. 'Probably squealing on me, the little prat.' He was devastatingly handsome though; his white-blond hair that framed his face, pale porcelain skin, and those unearthly blue eyes. 'Stop it Melodi. He is off limits!' She looked up from the ground only to see him starring at her with an intense look. Melodi quickly averted her eyes and let Madame Pomfrey put her back in her bed.

"Well, Melodi, how was your walk?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"It was fine Headmaster, thank you for asking." Melodi played with the blanket on the bed, eyes downcast, avoiding raising her head for fear of meeting eyes with Draco. The Headmaster seemed to realize there was something going on between the two students, he could feel the tension in the air. He figured it had to do with how they both ended up in the hospital ward. Dumbledore was still under the impression that Hogwarts' houses just had little tiffs, but were friends in the end. He took it upon himself to set up a situation where these two would have to reconcile their differences. An idea popped into the Headmaster's head and he chuckled quietly to himself. Severus had said they needed to find a way to help train Melodi while she was changing, what better person than the best DADA student to hit Hogwarts in years?

"Good to hear, my dear." Dumbledore turned to Draco, "And how are you feeling Mr. Malfoy?"

"I've been better." Draco's voice was emotionless, empty and hit Melodi right in the heart.

"That's splendid. Now, on to why I am here." The Headmaster couldn't help smiling, and his eyes were twinkling brighter than ever. "I have a special assignment for the two of you. Professor Snape and I are working on a...project, and we think that the two of you are perfect for the assignment. Plus, we will consider it as an extra credit assignment to help you catch up on the work you have missed and are going to miss for the rest of the week."

Melodi sat down on her bed, her face set in the same blank stone stare as Draco's. If he wasn't going to show emotion, neither was she. "Headmaster, pardon my stupidity, but why are we going to miss even more work the rest of this week?"

"My dear, Madame Pomfrey is keeping the two of you here to make sure that you both recover completely. The both of you have been through so much and we want to make sure that you are well enough to be able to handle working on our special project plus being able to finish your regular school work. It's merely precaution, nothing to worry over. Now, once the two of you are feeling better, I will fill you in more on the happenings of this project, but for now, I will leave you to rest." With that the Headmaster walked out of the hospital wing, leaving two bewildered students behind him.

* * *

'A special project...with Draco?! Dumbledore had to be losing his mind. There was no way she would or could work on a special project with Draco.' Melodi sighed to herself as she climbed under her covers.

"What was that for?" Draco's voice broke the tense silence.

"What was what for?"

"That sigh. Angry you have to work with me on a project or are you angry that you have to wait all week till we start working on the project?" Although the words were joking, Draco's tone was not. Melodi bit her lower lip in worry. He really was mad at her.

"I'm not angry, in fact I am excited to be doing a special project. I've only had one day of classes so far, but I know everything all ready. Half of this material I covered years ago with my private tutors." Melodi haughtily fluffed her pillow.

"Oh, well excuse me. Maybe if Hogwarts isn't challenging enough for you, you should leave." It was all Melodi could do to not gasp out loud. He wanted her to leave! Although she had decided to do that already, it hurt more to know he wanted her gone as much as she wanted to leave.

"As a matter of fact, I intend to do just that as soon as I can. I am writing to my mother and once she gets my letter, there is no question that she will come and get me. I can't wait to leave this wretched place." Melodi didn't mean what she was saying. She didn't hate Hogwarts, far from it actually. She loved Hogwarts, it was breathtakingly beautiful and the people were so nice...well, most of the people were. "Now, if you don't mind Mr. Malfoy. I intend to get as much rest as possible. I do not feel like arguing with you, nor do I feel like lying in my bed and looking at your stupid face for the rest of the day. Good day to you and may your wounds become infected with maggots." Melodi turned on her side and closed her eyes tight.

Draco was dumbfounded and speechless. That always seemed to happen to him every time she was around. 'She wants to leave?! Why would she want to leave Hogwarts?' 'You prat, you just told her to leave, she thinks you hate her.' 'But I don't hate her.' Whoa! Where did that come from? Draco looked over at Melodi, she was sound asleep. Nothing seemed to bother her when she wanted to sleep. But she did want to leave. That thought made Draco feel weird. He didn't know why, but it did.

* * *

"Albus, you have officially lost your mind!" Severus was yelling at the Headmasters floating image in his fireplace.

"Severus, dear boy, it is perfect. You said it yourself, Melodi needs to be trained to use and control her new powers. Who better to help her with that than Mr. Malfoy? You must agree, he is very adept at defending himself." Severus sat down in his arm chair, head in hands and sighed.

"But, Albus, we have no idea how to train Melodi. We don't know how quickly she will progress or even the full extent of her powers! Putting Draco in this situation is too risky, and imagine what his father would say if Draco ever got hurt?! Not to mention what would happen if Draco told his father about Melodi's powers! Voldemort would be here in an instant!" Snape shuddered at the though of Voldemort going after his niece. It wouldn't be pretty.

"You really do worry too much Severus. Trust me on this. And if the elder Mr. Malfoy has any qualms, I will speak with him personally. As for Draco telling his father and word getting to Voldemort, that is a chance we will just have to take. I do not think that you put enough trust in your students, Severus. Now, I suggest you get some rest. I expect that Monday evening the three of you will start training. Goodnight." With that, Albus' head popped out of sight, leaving Snape alone in his darkened room.

"Bloody wonderful." Snape said aloud as he reached for his decanter and glass. He poured himself some whiskey and downed it in one large gulp. After his fourth glass, the warm numbness overtook him and he headed to bed.

* * *

The days seemed to fly by and soon it was Sunday afternoon. Melodi put down her Advanced Potions book and sighed. All week Hermione had been bringing her her missed assignments so she could keep from falling behind (not that that was much of a problem anyway). Hermione would sit and chat with her about classes and all the latest gossip. Then, at some point, Ron and Harry would come in and all four of them would strike up a conversation. Usually though, it always ended up being one thing: what had happened to land her in the hospital ward. No matter how many times Melodi said she didn't remember the incident, she felt that deep down inside, her friends didn't believe her. 'And why should they?' she asked herself. 'You're lying through your teeth. They're your friends, you should tell them the truth.' Melodi sighed again. 'But the truth doesn't make any more sense than a lie, so there's no point in it.'

Melodi shook her head to clear her mind. She looked over at Draco who was also working on some missed work. From the way he was chewing the quill tip, he was doing his Arithmancy homework. He always chewed his quill while he did his Arithmancy, or at least he had done so all week. She giggled in her head, who would have thought that Draco Malfoy could be so utterly adorable while doing his homework? Just as she started to smile, Draco looked up at her.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked menacingly. Melodi was startled out of her daydream at his voice.

"I...I was just thinking of something." She stuttered.

Draco let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He was somewhat saddened that she hadn't been smiling at him. 'Why would she? You've been mean to her all week. She was probably daydreaming about Potter or that stupid Weasley who keeps fawning all over her.' He thought to himself. Well, that's fine. She could pine all she wanted but not while looking at him.

"Just keep your eyes to yourself." He said. Draco mentally slapped himself. That couldn't have sounded as stupid as it was. And much to his dismay, Melodi broke down into helpless giggles. Draco just glared as he watched her. Her hands flew to her mouth to try and hide the guffaws and she was physically shaking on the bed.

After a few minutes she looked straight at him and said, "Draco, that has got to be the most stupid, funniest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. 'Keep your eyes to yourself!'" She started to laugh all over again, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Draco cracked a smile. He liked the way she laughed, even if it was at him. Her eyes shone a radiant purple hue, and her face turned a slight rosy shade. She really was beautiful- uniquely and breathtakingly beautiful. And Draco realized suddenly, that he wanted Melodi to be his, forever.

* * *

A.N.- Again, I want to apologize for how long it took for me to get this chapter up. It's been a weird summer y'all, and I apologize profusely. I hope this chapter is at least up to par of what you expected. Chapter six should hopefully be coming soon!

Thanks again to all reviewers and to my awesome Beta- you rock!


End file.
